This invention relates to dental apparatus and procedures in general, and more particularly to dental implants and tools and methods for effecting dental restorations using the same.
In many individuals, disease and/or injury may result in the loss of one or more natural teeth. As a result, various techniques have been developed to replace such lost natural teeth with prosthetic appliances.
For example, where sufficient natural teeth remain adjacent to the location where a prosthetic tooth is to be positioned, a bridge may be fabricated.
Alternatively, if insufficient natural teeth remain to support and stabilize a bridge, a denture may be fabricated, with the denture seating against the patient""s gingiva.
In still other situations, a dental implant may be used. With such a dental implant, a hole is generally first made in the upper or lower jaw bone, as appropriate, and then the distal end of the implant is fixed in the recipient bone, e.g., by screwing the implant into the bone. The dental implant is generally sized and positioned so that the proximal end of the implant protrudes at least partially into the space where the prosthetic tooth is to be positioned. Then the prosthetic tooth is fixed to the proximal end of the implant, such that the prosthetic tooth generally occupies the space of the lost tooth.
While such dental implants can be effective, they also tend to suffer from a number of problems. Among other things, with current dental implants, the longitudinal axis of the prosthetic tooth must generally follow the longitudinal axis of the implant which is seated in the bone. Unfortunately, the optimal axial alignment for the implant seated in the bone may not necessarily be the same as the optimal axial alignment for the prosthetic tooth extending into the mouth. In particular, it has been found that the optimal axial alignment for the implant tends to be dictated by the specific anatomy of the patient""s recipient jaw bone, while the optimal axial alignment of the prosthetic tooth tends to be dictated by the geometry of the patient""s bite, lip support, phonetics and aesthetics. Thus, with current dental implants, the dental practitioner typically faces a choice of optimizing the orientation of the restoration for either (1) the implant seated in the bone, or (2) the prosthetic tooth extending into the mouth, or (3) some compromise in between. In any case, the result is generally a compromise of some sort.
Accordingly, one object of the present invention is to provide a novel dental implant which avoids the problems associated with the prior art.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a novel tool for use in deploying the novel dental implant of the present invention.
And another object of the present invention is to provide a novel method for effecting a dental restoration.
These and other objects are addressed by the present invention, which comprises a novel dental implant, a novel tool for deploying the same, and a novel method for effecting a dental restoration.
The novel dental implant comprises an implant fixture assembly adapted for attachment to a jaw bone at a first end thereof, the implant fixture assembly having a longitudinal axis; an abutment for mounting on a second end of the implant fixture assembly, the abutment having a longitudinal axis; and a fastener for connecting the abutment to the second end of the implant fixture assembly such that the abutment is adjustably movable on the second end of the implant fixture assembly and, upon disposition of the abutment axis at a selected angle to the implant fixture assembly axis, for fixedly connecting the abutment to the second end of the implant fixture assembly such that the abutment is fixed on the implant fixture assembly at the selected angle.
In one form of the invention, a novel tool is provided for setting the abutment on the second end of the implant fixture assembly by way of a screw interconnecting the abutment and the implant fixture assembly, the tool comprising a first elongated handle having a first hole therethrough; a first driver fixed proximate a distal end of the first handle, the first driver having a hole extending centrally therethrough and in alignment with the first handle hole; a second elongated handle; a second driver fixed proximate a distal end of the second handle and extendible through the first handle hole and the first driver hole and distally beyond the first driver; the first driver being engageable with an interior portion of the abutment and the second driver being engageable with an interior portion of a head portion of the screw.
In another form of the invention, a novel tool is provided for setting the abutment on the second end of the implant fixture assembly, the implant fixture assembly being fixed at the first end thereof in a jaw bone, and the abutment being adapted to receive and retain a prosthetic tooth, the abutment having an axial cavity therein and extending therethrough, and the implant fixture assembly having a recess in the second end thereof in communication with a threaded bore in the implant fixture assembly, the abutment""s axial cavity being shaped to receive the head portion of a screw and a first shank portion of that screw, and the implant fixture assembly being adapted to receive a second shank portion of the screw, the tool comprising a first elongated handle and a driver fixed on an end of the first handle, the driver and the first handle having a hole extending therethrough centrally of the driver, the driver being engageable with the abutment""s axial cavity so as to hold the abutment in a non-rotative manner, and a second elongated handle and a second driver fixed on an end of the second handle, the second driver being extendible in the hole through the first handle and through the first driver so as to engage an internal recess in the head portion of the screw, wherein movement of the two handles together serves to tilt the abutment on the implant fixture assembly to a desired position, and holding the first handle stationary while rotating the second handle serves to advance the screw in the implant fixture assembly so as to lock the abutment in the desired position on the implant fixture assembly.
The novel method for effecting a dental restoration comprises the steps of attaching an implant fixture assembly to a jaw bone; attaching an abutment to the implant fixture assembly by a retaining screw so as to permit tilting movement of the abutment on the implant fixture assembly; tilting the abutment on the implant fixture assembly so as to place a longitudinal axis of the abutment at a selected angle relative to a longitudinal axis of the implant fixture assembly; and fixing the abutment on the implant fixture assembly at the selected angle.